Aerial tramway.



Patented June 13, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

B. MAUKENZIB.

AERIAL TRAMWAY. APPLIUATION FILED 111111.28. 1911.

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B. MAOKENZIE.

- AERIAL TRAMWAY. n ARPLIOATION HLBD un.. 28,1911.

994,944. v Patented June 13, 191'1.

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MAGKENZIB. AERIAL TRAMWAY. APPLIoATroN FILED Mums. 1911.

Patented June 13, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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. STATES Bum* iviAcKENziE, or onnnnsnono, non'rn oAnoLIN-A.

AERIAL TRAM'WAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 13, 1911.

Application filed March 28, 1911. Serial No. 617231K.

` citizen of the United States, residing at Greensboro, in the county of. Guilford and VState of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Aerial Tramways; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to improvements in aerial tramways of that type wherein a cable is suspended between towers or suit-able supports and upon which the elevated carrier travels from one point to another, suitable means being provided for propelling or drawing the carrier along its supporting cable.

The objects of the invention are primarily to provide an improved means for supporting the cable between terminal stations whereby the carriage may be made to completely encircle or surround the supporting cable, provision being made at each intermediate support, for lifting the cable during the passage of the carriage and for displacing the cable guarding devices, while the cable is lifted or during the time a carriage is assing the support.

ll further object of the invention is to provide a construction of cable support which will permit the passage of a carriage in either direction, whereby the mechanism is adapted for use in the conveying of material either way in the length of the tramway.

Referring to the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a section of a tramway embodying the present improvements; Fig. 2 is a detail transverse sectionshowing the relative positions of the cable hangers, supporting Cables and carriage, together with a support for a trolley wire through which power may be supplied to the carriage for propelling the same along the cable; Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on an enlarged scale of one of the cable hangers showing a carriage within the same in position to have released or displaced two of the cable guards, and with the load supported lentirely by the cable hanger independently of the'cable; Fig. il is an elevation looking at one end of' the parts shown in Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of 1. the operating mechanism for one of the cable 1 guards.

l Like letters of reference in the several l: figures indicate the same parts.

The intermediate towers A, two of which ot conventional form, are shown in Fig. 1, are each adapted to support a cable hanger vB, or, where more than one cable is em- ;ployed, a number of cable hangers eorrei sponding to the number of cables. The preferrcd arrangement is best shown in Figs. l and A2 where it will be seen that the towers are provided with three transverse arms or eye beams. C, and the cable hangers B are supported or hung below the arms C pref erably by means ot turn buckles D, whereby the position and angle of the hanger may be properly adjusted. v

Each hanger embodies a housing comprising side plates B, Fig. 4:, and bottom tracks B2, the tracks B2 being separated to form a slot through which the depending plate or stem of the carriage may pass as will presently appear. Conveniently, the ends of the tracks B2 are formed with converging walls b2 and the said tracks, as shown in Fig. 3, are inclined downwardly in opposite direc tions from the center, the angle of inclination being great-er than the angle of the cable E. The cable E passes through the hanger and is normally supported by the central portion of the tracks B2, but in order to prevent any possibility of the cable escaping from the hanger through the slot between the tracks, guards or gates are provided in the form of transversely sliding bolts F mounted in guides in the tracks or lower portions of the hanger, and normally adapted lio/project across or close the slot between the tracks, provision being mad-e for withdrawing them Vat the moment When a carriage is to pass.A

Each bolt F is preferably provided with a downwardly extending arm or lug F working in a slot in the bottom wall of the track, and in a corresponding slot in a bottom plate G. Pivotally mounted on the bottom plate Gr is a pair of farms H, connected bya link H, passing in front of the lug F on the bolt, thus forming a parallel motion device adapted when the arms are swung in either direction to move the bolt back against .the tension of a spring f. One of the arms His mounted upon the lower end of an upwardly extending shaft I having at its upper end a crank arm I 'provided with a spherical roller I2, projecting within the hanger and adapted to be struck and swung by the engagement of the carriage K as will be readily understood from an inspection of Figs. 3 and t.

There are preferably provided four cable guards or gates F in each hanger, two being located on each side, whereby the passage of a carriage necessitates the withdrawal of two bolts in each direction and renders it practically impossible for the cable to escape through any accidental displacement or injury to any one of the guarding mechanisms.

The carriage K entirely surrounds the cable E and is provided with a downwardly extending stem or blade K from which the carrier is suspended in any suitable manner. Said carriage is provided on its interior with two relatively large grooved wheels or rollers L adapted to travel on the cable between the towers and two smaller wheels or rollers M lying under the cable and adapted to support the cable during the passage of the carriage through the hanger. For cooperating with the tracks B2 of the hangers during the passage of the carriage therethrough, the carriage is provided with external wheels N which may be conveniently mounted on the outer ends of the shafts or axles m carrying the internal grooved pulleys or wheels M. The wheels M are of such diameter as that they will enter between the cable and the tracks B2 as the carriage approaches the hanger and traveling up the inclined tracks will lift and support the cable during such time as the carriage is in transit through the hanger, said cable being allowed to drop back upon the tracks B2 after the passage of the carriage. During the passage of the carriage through the hanger the upper portions of its side walls above the wheels N strike and swing the crank arms I', thereby withdrawing the gates or cable guards in front of the carriage and again allowing the said gates or guards to close and bridge the slot after the carriage has passed.

Inasmuch as the crank arms I will swing in either direction and will withdraw the bolts or gates when so swung, the result is that the carriage may be operated through the hanger in either direction, and it is obvious that the cable will be completely guarded or held in the hanger whenever a carriage is not in position to itself support and retain the cable in proper position within the hanger.

By the use of spherical rollers I2 on the crank arms of the cable guard operating mechanism friction and wear, owing to the change in the angle or the line of travel of the carriage, is to a largeextent overcome,

Yand there is little or no danger of the said arms or rollers being broken or injured by impact of the carriage against the same.

In the preferred construction, and as shown in Fig. 3, the upper portion of the carriage projects both in front and in rear of the rollers and downwardly extending blade or stem ofthe carriage, whereby the operation of the gates or sliding bolts is eected a some of them will be in operative position to prevent the escape of the cable even during the passage or transit of a carriages.,

through the hanger.

Any suitable form of carrier may be suspended from the carriage, and in Figs. l and 2 there is illustrated a carrier embodying an electric motor driven propeller O, the power for operating the motor being supplied through a trolley wire P on which a telescoping trolley arm Q is adapted to bear.

Having' thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentof the United States, is:

l. A hanger'for elevated tramway cables embodying a housing having bottom tracks with a slot therebetween for the passage of a carrier carriage, transversely movable gates for bridging said passage to prevent the escape of the cable, and operating mechanism for said gates having crank arms projecting into the upper portion of the hanger for cooperation with a carriage passing through the hanger.

2. A hanger for aerial tramways embodying a housing having tracks at the bottom inclined downwardly from the center, there being a slot between said tracks for the passage of a carrier carriage, a plurality of transversely movable gates bridging said slot for preventing the escape of the cable,

and independent operating mechanism for each of said gates embodying arms projecting into the interior of the hanger in position to be displaced by a carriage passing through the hanger.

3. In an aerial tramway, the combination with the cable, carriage mounted on said cable to travel longitudinally thereof, and hanger for the cable embodying a housing having tracks at the bottom inclined with respect to the cable, of transversely movable gates for preventing the escape of the cable from the hanger and gate operating mechanism embodying shafts journaled in the hanger and having inwardly projecting crank arms intersecting the path of travel Y,

of the carriage through the hanger.

4. In an aerial tramway, the combination with the cable and carriage running on said cable, of a hanger embodying a housing having tracks at the bottom inclined with respect to the cable and adapted to receive the carriage in its passage through the hanger,

transversely sliding gates for preventing the escape of the cable from the hanger, a

parallel motion link for each gate, and a crank arm connected with each link and projecting within the hanger in the path of travel of the carriage through the hanger, whereby the movement of the carriage through the hanger in either direction will withdraw the gates in succession.

5. In an aerial tramway, the combination with the cable and carriage mounted to travel on said cable, and having carrying wheels thereon, of the cable hanger embodying a housing having tracks at the bottom iIl inclined with respect to the cable and in osition to receive the carrying wheels of he carriage, transversely movable gates bridging the space between the tracks for preventing the escape of the cable from the hanger, and gate operating mechanism embodying shafts having inwardly projecting crank arms extending into the path of travel of the carriage through the hanger.

6. In an aerial tramway, the combination with the cable, carriage mounted thereon and having carrying wheels on its opposite sides, there being a pair of wheels at each end of the carriage, of a cable hanger having bottom tracks inclined with respect to the cable and in position to receive the carrying wheels on the carriage, a plurality of transversely sliding gates bridging the space between the tracks, and an independent operating mechanism for each of said gates embodying arms projecting into the hanger in position to intersect the path of the carriage through the hanger, whereby the gates are withdrawn during the passage of the carriage.

7. In an aerial tramway, the combination with the cable hanger, housing having the oppositely disposed tracks at the bottom, inclined downwardly from a central point, transversely movable gates bridging the space between the tracks, a parallel motion link for operating each gate, a shaft connected with each link, and a crank arm on each shaft projecting into the hanger in position to intersect the path of travel of a carriage through the hanger.

8. In an aerial tramway, the combination with the cable hanger embodying a housing having side walls and bottom tracks inclined downwardly from a central point, a plurality of transversely sliding gates for bridging the space between the tracks, each of said gates having a downwardly extending lug thereon, a link cooperating with each lug, pivoted arms on which said links are mounted, whereby each link is given a parallel motion by the swinging of the arms on their centers, a shaft connected with one arm of each link, each of said shafts having an inwardly projecting crank arm intersecting the path of the carriage through the hanger, whereby the shaft will be turned and the gates withdrawn during the passage of a carriage.

9. In an aerial. tramway, the combination with the hanger having the oppositely disosed tracks at the bottom, of a carriage aving oppositely` disposed supporting wheels for coperation with said tracks, and centrally arranged top and bottom groove pulleys for coperation with a cable passing through the hanger.

10. In an aerial tramway, the combination with the hanger, having the oppositely disposed bottom tracks and gates for bridging the space between said tracks, of the carriage having the centrally disposed top and bottom grooved ulleys for cooperating with the cable passing through the hanger, and two pairs of oppositely disposed wheels Jfor coperation with the tracks in the hanger, said carriage being extended beyond the carrying wheels for withdrawing the gates as the carriage approaches the same.

BURT MACKENZIE.

Witnesses:

DAVID STERN, SAMUEL A. TEMPO.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by

addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

